In a rare move, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is launching its own dating app to promote marriage and boost the plunging national birthrate. This new paid application, managed by a private entrepreneur, will be available this summer, Independent reported.
Users will be required to submit documentation proving they are legally single and sign a letter stating they are willing to get married. The app will also require users to provide a tax certificate slip to prove their annual salary.
An interview will also be required to confirm a user's identity as part of the registration process for the Tokyo app, which has been on a test run for free since late last year. Once approved, users will be required to list the ''values'' they seek in a partner. AI will then be used to link people with compatible values.
"We learned that 70 per cent of people who want to get married aren't actively joining events or apps to look for a partner. We want to give them a gentle push to find one,'' a Tokyo government official in charge of the new app told AFP.
''If there are many individuals interested in marriage but unable to find a partner, we want to provide support. We hope that this app, with its association with the government, will provide a sense of security and encourage those who have been hesitant to use traditional apps to take the first step in their search for a partner,'' another Tokyo official was quoted by The Asahi Shimbun as saying.
The app would provide a "gentle push" for the nearly "70 per cent of people who want to get married" but weren't "actively joining events or apps to look for a partner", yet another official told AFP.
X owner and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also reacted to the development and praised Japan's move. Responding to a tweet regarding the same, Mr Musk said he is "glad" that Japan has recognised the importance of this matter. Mr Musk in the past has said that we as a society must raise our birth rate to counteract ageing populations.
Last year, Japan recorded more than twice as many deaths as new babies. Births fell for the eighth consecutive year to 758,631, a drop of 5.1 per cent, preliminary government data showed. The number of deaths stood at 1,590,503.
One of the most frequently cited reasons why Japanese prefer to remain single is the lack of finances to marry and raise children. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called the drop in birth rates the “gravest crisis our country faces” and said that urgent steps must be taken to tackle Japan's declining birth rate.
